Snagless Push Pole Holder

ABSTRACT

A Snagless Push Pole Holder is a device used for the storage of a boat push pole onboard the vessel when the push pole is not being used to propel the vessel. It will incorporate a design that prevents or minimizes the risk of fishing line, rope or net entanglement on the holder by eliminating all sharp edges, corners, overhangs, protrusions, hooks or similar obstructions, while still providing sufficient holding capability to secure a push pole. Additionally, it will incorporate a method for fastening it to a boat so that the mounting method does not create further points of potential entanglement. It will generally have a rounded, knob-like shape with a wider, tapered base that allows line, rope or netting to slip free of the holder when looped over or around it. Such a holder may also include an optional attached length of shock cord that can be used to further secure a stored push pole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a secure, reliable means of storing a boat push pole onboard a vessel using holders that will not interfere with an angler's ability to cast and retrieve line. This is especially important when the angler is using a fishing technique known as fly fishing. During the process of casting and retrieving a fly line, large loops and piles of line are often draped haphazardly around the angler's feet and become easily entangled on any obstruction in the boat. Fly anglers will go to great lengths to design an area of a boat so that it is free from potential points of entanglement. Such concerns about entanglement are also true, to a lesser degree, for other fishing styles as well. Whenever a fish is being fought the possibility of line breakage and loss of the fish increases significantly if the line comes into contact with something sharp or something that it cannot pull free from easily. As such, eliminating as many potential points of entanglement as possible is highly desirable and this invention will reduce that number.

Additionally, landing nets are often used to assist in the capture and control of hooked fish. The fabric webbing of such a net can easily become entangled on a conventional push pole holder, potentially causing loss of the fish or damage to the net or holder. This invention will minimize the risk of such net entanglement.

Similarly, rope is commonly used aboard boats for many purposes including, but not limited to anchoring, mooring and towing. Ropes can easily become snagged on conventional push pole holders during use, such as when attempting to tie off a boat to an adjacent dock. Such entanglements can result in loss of vessel control and possible property damage or injury, were they to happen at critical moments in a boat's operation. This invention will minimize potential rope entanglements as well.

Typical push pole holders seen today use a J-hook design that create many potential points of entanglement. They often also include numerous sharp edges and corners that can both snag lines, ropes and nets, or even cause damage to the push pole itself. This invention eliminates all of these problems.

DEFINITIONS RELATING TO THE INVENTION

Push Pole—A device used to manually propel a vessel by pushing against the bottom of a body of water, typically in extreme shallows. Such a device is often of excessive length, frequently exceeding the overall length of the vessel it is used on. As such, special means of storing and securing a push pole are necessary when it is not in use, such as when the vessel is underway using a mechanical means of propulsion.

Push Pole Holder or Bracket—A device used to store or secure a boat push pole.

Shock Cord—Also known as bungee cord, is an elastic cord that expands and contracts as it is pulled longitudinally.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A Snagless Push Pole Holder is a device used for the storage of a boat push pole when the push pole is not being used to propel the vessel. A Snagless Push Pole Holder incorporates a design that prevents or minimizes the risk of fishing line, rope or net entanglement on the holder by eliminating all sharp edges, corners, overhangs, protrusions, hooks or similar obstructions, while still providing sufficient holding capability to secure a boat push pole. Additionally, a Snagless Push Pole Holder will incorporate a method for mounting or fastening it to a boat so that the mounting method does not create further points of potential entanglement. A Snagless Push Pole Holder will generally have a rounded, knob-like shape with a wider, tapered base and head that allows line, rope or netting to slip free of the holder when looped over or around it. Such a holder may also include an optional attached length of shock cord that can be used to further secure a stored push pole. Dimensions of a Snagless Push Pole Holder can vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to the type of boat, the mounting location or the size of the push pole to be stored in the holder. However, the typical height of a Snagless Push Pole Holder will range from approximately 1.5″ to approximately 3″. The typical diameter, measured at the base, will range from approximately 1″ to approximately 3″.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH DRAWING

FIG. 1—Shows the general shape and design of a Snagless Push Pole Holder. The drawing also illustrates a single, centered mounting bolt underneath the holder. This bolt will pass though the mounting surface below and be secured with a nut and/or washer from beneath the mounting surface.

FIG. 2—Shows the general shape and design of a Snagless Push Pole Holder, but this time illustrates a top mounting scenario where three or more fasteners pass through the holder base and into the mounting surface below. The fastener holes are countersunk so that the fasteners themselves are recessed and do not create entanglement points.

FIG. 3—Shows the position of a push pole when stored in a Snagless Push Pole Holder. It also illustrates the location of an optional shock cord hole.

FIG. 4—Shows a push pole stored in a typical arrangement of three Snagless Push Pole Holders. This arrangement allows for the tension of a flexible push pole to hold it in place without the use of shock cord straps.

FIG. 5—Shows the use of two Snagless Push Pole Holders to secure a push pole. In this arrangement, shock cord straps are required.

FIG. 6—Shows another arrangement of two Snagless Push Pole Holders, one on each side of the pole. This can be done to change the pole orientation when stored, if the shape of the boat hull makes same-side holders impractical. This arrangement also requires shock cord straps to be effective.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the proposed Snagless Push Pole Holder having a round, knob-like shape with a flared base, concave center, smaller flared head and domed top. In this drawing, the holder is shown with the preferred mounting hardware consisting of a single stainless steel hanger bolt that is fastened up into the body of the holder. The remaining exposed portion of the bolt can then be secured thru the railing, gunnel, deck or other surface of a vessel using a nut and optional washers.

FIG. 2 illustrates a similar holder embodiment that instead uses three or more fasteners passing through the holder base from above and into the mounting surface below. When intended for fastening from above, the holder must be manufactured with countersunk mounting holes so that the heads of the screws or bolts do not protrude above the surface of the holder.

When installed on a vessel the flat base of the holder will press against the mounting surface, thereby providing stability. The concaved center segment of the holder is where the tubular body of a push pole will rest when placed in the holder, as shown in FIG. 3. The concave shape and larger base and head are critical to the design as they create overhanging surfaces that prevent a push pole from dislodging from the holder.

In an ideal embodiment, the shape of a Snagless Push Pole Holder will have minimal edges and angles, only radii, curves and smooth transitions that will not impede the passing of line, rope or netting when they come into contact with the holder. The exact measurements of said angles and radii will vary depending on the height and width of the holder, but in any embodiment of the holder each feature must be implemented with the purpose of minimizing potential entanglement.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the holder may optionally include a mounting hole for attaching a length of elastic bungee cord. The inclusion of said hole must not create additional protruding edges that could diminish the snag free characteristics of the holder. When included, the bungee cord can be stretched over a stored push pole and looped over the flared head of the holder itself, thereby further securing the push pole. This is useful when the vessel is running in rough seas or when trailering on the road.

The body of a Snagless Push Pole Holder can be manufactured from any suitable material, including but not limited to plastic, urethane, wood, metal, fiberglass, carbon fiber, graphite or similar. Regardless of the material used, the holder should have a reasonably smooth finish so that contact friction is minimized. 

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 5. A holding device, consisting of: an integrated mounting base, configured to be attached to a mounting surface; and the integrated mounting base being flat at the bottom and generally the widest part of said holding device; and the integrated mounting base will include a plurality of holes, into which a threaded fastener is inserted to attach the mounting base to said mounting surface. a generally knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section, extending upward from the mounting base, the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section having a concave radius configured to receive and secure a boat push pole. a generally rounded top, integrated with the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section.
 6. A boat having a deck, gunnel, railing or other suitable mounting surface and a holding device of claim 1 fastened to said mounting surface.
 7. The holding device of claim 1, wherein the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section is free from sharp corners, angles or edges that would potentially snag, entangle or cut fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage used on board a boat.
 8. The holding device of claim 1, wherein the integrated mounting base is free from sharp corners, angles or edges that would potentially snag, entangle or cut fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage used on board a boat; and a threaded fastener inserted into said integrated mounting base will not create additional points of entanglement for said fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage.
 9. The holding device of claim 1, wherein the rounded top is free from sharp corners, angles or edges that would potentially snag, entangle or cut fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage used on board a boat.
 10. The holding device of claim 1, wherein the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section is cylindrical in shape, with a larger diameter toward the top and bottom, and a smaller diameter at the center; and the cylindrical shape of the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section provides a consistent holding surface around the entire circumference of the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section; and the larger diameter toward the top and bottom of the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section prevents a boat push pole from moving significantly in an upward or downward direction when pressed against the knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section.
 11. The holding device of claim 1, when installed onto the mounting surface of a boat does not significantly impede the passage of fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage used on board a boat, when said fishing lines, ropes, netting or other cordage come into contact with said holding device.
 12. The holding device of claim 1, when installed in conjunction with a second and third holding device of claim 1 onto the mounting surface of a boat will reasonably and securely hold a boat push pole in place, solely through the tension against each knob-shaped or spool-shaped holding section.
 13. The holding device of claim 1, when installed in conjunction with a second and third holding device of claim 1 onto the mounting surface of a boat will allow for quick and easy release of a held boat push pole by applying lateral and upward pressure away from the holding device of claim
 1. 14. The holding device of claim 1, when installed in conjunction with a second and/or third holding device of claim 1 onto the mounting surface of a boat may utilize an optional length of fixed or flexible cordage to increase the lateral holding strength of said holding device.
 15. The holding device of claim 1, wherein the optional length of fixed length or flexible cordage is attached to the integrated mounting base via an optional horizontal hole passing through said integrated mounting base. 